Thomas Matthews
Thomas Matthews was a 3-term United States Representative from the state of Pennsylvania, and a former 11-term Representative from Colorado. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He retired on June 15, 2018. Early Life and Education Matthews was born on January 6, 1970 in New York City, New York. He moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado at age 3. He attended school there and moved to Denver, Colorado after graduating high school. He graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in law, economics, and political science. Professional Career During college, Matthews first volunteered for Democratic Party of Denver, and then worked his way into an internship with the mayor. After Denver's mayor was re-elected to a 2nd term, he was given a full time job as a policy advisor to the mayor. He continued in that job for over two years before leaving to pursue political office of his own by running for state legislature. He won his first election easily and would go on to win 3 more terms before being encouraged by constituents and advisors to run for the House of Representatives as the Republican Representative, Daniel Morgan, was a relatively weak candidate, but held all 7 seats for the state because of the lack of competition. House of Representatives Proposed Bills Education Bill On Wednesday April 4th, 2018, Matthews proposed a bill that would place education under federal jurisdiction. The bill passed in the House by a 61-57 vote, and received more ayes than nays in the Senate (26 to 22), but failed to reach the required 51 votes, and thus failed. This was Matthews' first proposed bill. Progressive Caucus In mid-April 2018, Thomas Matthews co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus with Senator Cassius (D-NH). Issues Abortion: Planned Parenthood gives Matthews a 100% pro-choice rating. Defense: Matthews believes in a world without nuclear weapons, and is against war, but understands the need for a strong national defense to protect U.S. citizens. Education: He would like to see some of the money currently being spent on the military and creation of nuclear weapons spent on the American education system, as he believes educating the future generations is one of the most important ways to ensure the preservation of our nation and standing in the world for years to come. He believes education should be under federal jurisdiction and funding should be greatly increased. Environment: He is highly concerned with the state of the global environment today and where it appears to be trending heading towards the future. He believes companies should be taxed based on the amount of pollution they create, where companies who pollute a lot are taxed much higher than those who do not. He says "there is no plan B. If we mess up the one planet we've got, that's it. We're done. That's scary to think about. So we need to do everything we can to ensure the safety of this planet so that this planet can ensure the safety of the human race". Gun Rights: Matthews has a F rating from the NRA and has frequently attacked the group. He has said on multiple occasions that the NRA and many conservative politicians in Washington have "the blood of children" on their hands after being in office for many school shootings and other mass shootings. Health Care: He believes health care is a right and is a necessity for survival for many Americans. He supports welfare and hopes to eventually gain enough support to bring it back (as it currently no longer exists in the U.S.). LGBT Rights: The Human Rights Campaign has given Matthews a 100% rating many times, and he supports the legalization of same-sex marriage, and says "people should have the right to choose who they want to marry and should not be judged based off of that. If they love another human being, then let them be together... love is love". Immigration: Matthews' most right leaning position (although still mostly liberal) is on immigration. He supports deporting illegal immigrants (but doesn't like the violent nature of ICE) and is in favor of national quotas, so long as "they're fair and don't discriminate". Overall: Matthews is considered one of the most liberal members of Congress. Category:Democratic Party politicians Category:Democratic Party Category:Politicians